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These are not good days for the Associated Press (AP). Since May 11, the media has been receiving harsh criticism on social networks for two reasons: publishing false information about a controversial and failed Democratic pro-abortion bill and attacking Elon Musk for defending free speech.
After the Supreme Court’s draft of the Roe v. Wade case was leaked, Democrats attempted to ensure access to abortion across the United States through a controversial bill that sought to make the 1973 ruling federal law. All Republicans and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted against the bill blocking Democratic efforts with a simple majority of 51-49.
Despite this, AP reporter Zeke Miller falsely claimed that the Democratic bill was blocked through filibustering.
“Senate Democrats’ bill to write Roe v. Wade into law blocked by GOP-led filibuster as Supreme Court weighs abortion case,” Miller said on Twitter.
The correspondent received numerous corrections and criticisms on Twitter. So far, Miller did not correct his mistake.
“Every word of this is egregiously false. Does AP even pretend anymore? Here’s an ACCURATE headline: ‘Bipartisan majority of the Senate rejects Dem proposal to overturn every single restriction on abortion enacted over the last 50 years,”’ Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticized.
Following Miller’s tweet, other journalists began joking about Democratic efforts to eliminate the filibuster by suggesting that the next step is to call for the elimination of the simple majority.
‘We must end not just the filibuster but also the simple majority so this bill can pass!’ wryly tweeted Jim Antle, politics editor at Washington Examiner.
AP attacks Elon Musk for defending free speech
In another controversial tweet, the news agency decided to charge Tesla’s billionaire owner Elon Musk for his recent acquisition of Twitter in the name of free speech.
“Elon Musk boasts that he’s acquiring Twitter to defend freedom of speech. But he has long used the platform to attack those who disagree with him,” tweet posted by AP on May 11.
Immediately, users began to criticize the media because they described Musk as a man who is not afraid to defend his views through the free exchange of ideas. In other words, a person who believes in freedom of speech.
“Everyone knows free speech means you can’t respond to critics,” Seth Dillon, CEO of satirical media outlet The Babylon Bee, responded wryly.
Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis, also slammed the AP.
“Shorter version: AP is not familiar with the concept of ‘free speech.”‘
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
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